Hosted disbursement system

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed for making disbursements to one or more consumers via a hosted disbursement system. In accordance with an embodiment, a method can comprise receiving, at a merchant service provider, a request to make a disbursement to a consumer from a merchant. The request can be received from a merchant server and include disbursement information corresponding to the disbursement. The method can further comprise receiving, at the merchant service provider, a selection of a distribution option from the user, which corresponds to a type of account to receive the disbursement. The method can further comprise receiving, at the merchant service provider, account information from the consumer. The account information is sent to the merchant service provider from a user device, bypassing the merchant server. The method can further comprise processing the disbursement using the account information to transfer funds corresponding to the disbursement to the consumer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional of and claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/713,353, filed on Oct. 12, 2012,which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Many businesses provide disbursements, such as refunds and rebates, toconsumers after certain transactions are performed on that consumer'saccount. For example, a consumer can receive a refund after a friendsigns a contract with the consumer's service provider (e.g., cable TV)or a bank can issue rewards after a certain dollar amount is charged ona credit card. Additionally, when a consumer returns goods that theypurchased from the merchant, the consumer may choose to receive arefund, rebate, or other disbursement. Similarly, the consumer mayexpect a recurring rebate from a business, like an insurance company.

Presently, when businesses provide these disbursements to a consumer, alarge amount of processing is required to track the value of thedisbursement and issue a check or prepaid debit card, such as shown inFIG. 1. The business 101 is required to then mail the check or card 102to a consumer 103 each time that a disbursement is issued. Not only doesthis require additional manpower and processing power to provide aphysical payment of the value to the consumer, but additional funding isoften required in order to purchase the paper, printers, prepaid cards,envelopes and postage.

The aforementioned process is not only burdensome for the businessesissuing the disbursements, but also for the consumer who is required toconduct a transaction, e.g., go to a bank, to deposit a check and keeptrack of the check and/or numerous prepaid cards received.

Another problem with existing disbursement systems is that differentbusinesses provide different types of disbursements. For example, onetype of business may provide for a prepaid card as a disbursement,another business may provide a check as a disbursement, while anothermay provide a coupon as a disbursement. In this case, a consumer mayreceive a number of different disbursements in different forms, and thisis inconvenient for the consumer.

Accordingly, a system is needed which can streamline the disbursementprocess and which is convenient for both the issuing businesses as wellas the consumers, reducing processing requirements and load on systemresources.

Embodiments of the invention address these and other problems,individually and collectively.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Systems and methods are disclosed for making disbursements to one ormore consumers via a hosted disbursement system. In accordance with anembodiment, a method can comprise receiving, at a merchant serviceprovider, a request to make a disbursement to a consumer from amerchant. The request can be received from a merchant server and includedisbursement information corresponding to the disbursement. The methodcan further comprise receiving, at the merchant service provider, aselection of a distribution option from the user, which corresponds to atype of account to receive the disbursement. The method can furthercomprise receiving, at the merchant service provider, accountinformation from the consumer. The account information is sent to themerchant service provider from a user device, bypassing the merchantserver. The method can further comprise processing the disbursementusing the account information to transfer funds corresponding to thedisbursement to the consumer.

In some embodiments, a method of making disbursements to one or moreconsumers can comprise receiving, at a merchant service provider, arequest to redeem a disbursement to be made to a consumer from amerchant. The request can be redirected to the merchant service providerfrom a merchant server. The method can further comprise receiving, atthe merchant service provider, disbursement information corresponding tothe disbursement from a user device; and identifying the disbursementbased on the disbursement information. The method can further comprisereceiving, at the merchant service provider, account information fromthe consumer. The account information is sent to the merchant serviceprovider from the user device, bypassing the merchant server; andprocessing the disbursement using the account information to transferfunds corresponding to the disbursement from the merchant to theconsumer.

In some embodiments, a system for making disbursements to one or moreconsumers can comprise a processor and a memory device includinginstructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processorto receive, at a merchant service provider, disbursement informationfrom a merchant server, wherein the disbursement information correspondsto a disbursement to be made to a consumer from a merchant. Theinstructions, when executed by the processor can further cause theprocessor to receive, at the merchant service provider, a selection of adistribution option from the user. The distribution option cancorrespond to a type of account to receive the disbursement. Theinstructions, when executed by the processor can further cause theprocessor to receive, at the merchant service provider, accountinformation from the consumer. The account information is sent to themerchant service provider from a user device, bypassing the merchantserver. The instructions, when executed by the processor can furthercause the processor to process the disbursement using the accountinformation to transfer funds corresponding to the disbursement from themerchant to the consumer.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a number of advantages,including reduced consumer implementation costs, specialized management,and security PCI compliance. Additionally, embodiments of the presentinvention provide an improved consumer experience, by providing a systemin which consumers can specify how their disbursements are made.

These and other embodiments of the invention are described in furtherdetail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art disbursement system.

FIG. 2 illustrates a hosted disbursement system, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative hosted disbursement system, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates distribution options in a hosted disbursement system,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 provides an illustration of an example merchant webpage, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 provides an illustration of an example merchant webpage, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 provides an illustration of an example hosted disbursementwebpage, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method for providing a disbursement to a consumerthrough a hosted disbursement system, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary computer system used to access thedisbursement platform in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a hosted disbursementsystem through which disbursements, such as refunds and rebates, can beclaimed by a consumer from a business.

In embodiments of the invention, merchants (or computers operated by themerchants) can off-load all or a portion of disbursement processing to amerchant service provider. Disbursement processing can include verifyingand issuing disbursements (e.g., refunds, rebates, one time or recurringpayments, and other transfers) to consumers through the merchant serviceprovider. In some embodiments, each merchant's website can redirect aconsumer to the merchant service provider using a hosted order page(HOP) to process one or more disbursements for the consumer. In someembodiments, the merchant website can determine that the consumer'sdisbursement is valid (e.g., corresponds to disbursement informationmaintained by the merchant) before redirecting the consumer to themerchant service provider. In some embodiments, the merchant serviceprovider can verify that the consumer is due a disbursement and presentdistribution options to the consumer. For example, the distributionoptions can include making the disbursement to the consumer's checkingaccount, credit card account, virtual account. Once a distributionoption is selected, the consumer can provide account informationdirectly to the merchant service provider, bypassing the merchant. Thisenables the merchants to avoid the cost and effort of complying with thePayment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and governmentregulations regarding storing sensitive account information.

In some embodiments, disbursements can be initiated as part of a largertransaction, or related to a transaction, between a consumer and amerchant. For example, a consumer can purchase a good or service that isassociated with an incentive, such as a rebate. The consumer can receivea notification to claim their rebate, such as by receiving a rebate format purchase or in a subsequent email or other communication. Thenotification can include an identifier, such as a rebate number, and amerchant website where the rebate can be redeemed. The consumer canvisit the website, and provide the rebate identifier (and potentiallyother disbursement information) to claim the rebate. In these andsimilar embodiments, a purchase transaction serves as an event thatqualifies for a disbursement defined by the merchant. Alternatively,other transactions that do not rely on a purchase can serve as an eventthat qualifies for a disbursement defined by the merchant. For example,an insurance customer can file a claim with an insurer as per aninsurance contract. The insurer can evaluate the claim and determine howmuch the insurer will pay for the claim. The insurer can then notify thecustomer to visit the insurer's website to obtain their payment.Similarly, an employment contract between an employee and employer candefine a salary to be paid by the employer to the employee at specifiedtimes or upon specified events. The employee can visit the employer'swebsite and provide instructions for how the salary (in this case, arecurring disbursement) should be transferred to the employee. Systemsand methods for processing these and similar disbursements are discussedin greater detail below.

“Disbursement information” may include a disbursement identifier, suchas a coupon, refund, or rebate code, claim number, or other identifier.The disbursement information may also include a disbursement amount. Itmay also include information about any transaction and/or event thatresults in a disbursement, such as information about item(s) that havebeen or are to be purchased, payment amounts, service information,policy details, etc. It may also include information about the consumermaking the transactions, such as name, address, email address, purchasehistory, profile information, and any other information related to theconsumer.

“Account information” may include information associated with financialaccounts, such credit-card accounts, debit-card accounts, demandaccounts (e.g., checking accounts, money market accounts), prepaidaccounts, eWallet accounts, etc. Examples of such information includepayment account numbers (“PANs”), expiration dates, bank routingnumbers, checking account numbers, etc.

A “hosted order page” (HOP) is a third-party hosted webpage that acceptspayment information from customers on behalf of merchants.Traditionally, a merchant website typically redirects a customer to anHOP on the third-party's domain/server when the customer selects a ‘Buy’or ‘Checkout’ button from an online shopping cart. Once at the HOP, thecustomer inputs payment information, such as credit card information.The third-party, which is neither the merchant nor the customer, usesthe payment information entered by the customer to process the purchasetransaction for the merchant so that the merchant can avoid handling thecustomer's payment information, and thereby avoid the cost and effort ofcomplying with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCIDSS) and government regulations regarding storing sensitive paymentinformation. As described further below, a HOP can be repurposed toserve as a hosted disbursement page, for receiving account informationfrom a consumer to make payments to the consumer from the merchant,rather than the traditional HOP that receives payment information fromthe consumer to make a payment to the merchant.

A “silent order post” (SOP) is akin to an HOP but with only thesensitive textboxes and other input controls being hosted by the thirdparty. That is, the merchant hosts the order page but the sensitivefields, such as the credit card number and expiration date entrytextboxes, are posted only to the third party's servers. Althoughembodiments of the present invention are generally described withreference to HOPs, SOPs could similarly be used.

A “merchant service provider” can be any entity that provides servicesin support of electronic transactions. Examples of such services includeproviding HOPs and/or SOPs to collect account information and/ordisbursement information and using that information to processdisbursements on behalf of merchants. A merchant service provider mayalso provide other services such as a payment service, a fraud detectionservice, etc. Further details regarding a HOP or SOP that could beincorporated into embodiments of the present invention can be found inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/549,187 to Anderson and Ser. No.13/559,250 to McCullagh, each of which is incorporated herein referencein their entirety for all purposes.

FIG. 2 illustrates a hosted disbursement system 200, in accordance withan embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a consumer 202 canaccess a merchant computer 204, and one or more associated merchantpages 206 and 208, using a consumer device 210. The consumer device caninclude a personal computer, smartphone, laptop or other communicationdevice. In some embodiments, the consumer device can interface with themerchant computer 204 and service provider The merchant 204 can becommunicatively connected to a merchant service provider 212 (“serviceprovider”). The service provider 212 can include transaction services214 and HOP disbursement service 216, which provides a hosteddisbursement page 218. The transaction services 214 can include consumerprofile/account data 220 and merchant configuration data 222 as well asa tokenization module 224. The service provider 212, acting as a “host”,hosts services for clients, such as the merchant 204. According to theillustrated embodiment, the merchant 204 and the consumer 202 cantransmit information associated with a disbursement to the serviceprovider 212.

The consumer 202 is, generally, any entity that is a recipient ofone-time or recurring payments, rebates, refunds, etc. Non-limitingexamples include a person or business entity that purchases or licensesgoods and services from merchants via the public Internet or at a retailstore using a credit card, debit card, e-check; insurance policyholders; employees; etc. The merchant 204 is, generally, any entity thatmakes payments per a pre-existing agreement, such as an insurancepolicy, employment agreement, rebate offer, refund policy, etc.

The service provider 212 may be a third party other than the consumerand merchant, that provides services in support of electronictransactions. Non-limiting examples of such services include servicesrelated to payment acceptance processing (e.g., HOP and SOP), creditcard authorization, account information tokenization, risk evaluationand management, fraud screening, tax calculation, export complianceverification, delivery address verification, Internet and/or e-mailaddress verification, payment crediting, billing, and the like. Serviceprovider 212 may invoke service features of other service providers insupport of their service offerings.

The consumer 202 and the merchant 204 may communicate through a network,such as the Internet. When a consumer seeks to redeem a disbursement,the consumer can provide information to the merchant, or the serviceprovider, such that the disbursement can be identified and verified.Non-limiting examples of information collected from the consumer 202include an offer code, claim number, or other identifier that can beused to identify the disbursement. In some embodiments, the consumer canreceive the information from the merchant, such as printed on a receipt,included in an email, or displayed on a merchant device. For example, insome embodiments, an agent of a merchant can review a consumer'sdisbursement information and approve the disbursement in person. Theagent of the merchant can display an image, such as a bar code, QR code,or other machine readable data representation, on a merchant device,such as a tablet or computer. The consumer can capture the image usingthe consumer device 210 and be redirected to the service provider tocomplete the disbursement.

Once disbursement and customer-related information is collected by themerchant 204, the merchant transmits at least a portion of theinformation to the service provider 212. Additional information may betransmitted along with the information described. For example, themerchant 204 may transmit customized data or a specification of serviceprovider 212 services to apply, or to ignore, in the electronictransaction processing that is provided by the service provider 212.Furthermore, according to embodiments described herein,customer-specified service strategies and schedules (e.g. schedules forrecurring disbursements) may also be transmitted from the merchant 204to the service provider 212. Any or all of the information referencedabove, which is transmitted from the merchant 204 to the serviceprovider 212, may be transmitted through a network in any suitableprotocol. An example of a suitable protocol is Secure Sockets Layer(SSL). The service provider 212 then performs one or more services inrelation to the electronic commercial transaction associated withtransmitted transaction information.

An example will now be provided with reference to the encircledreference numerals 1-7 provided in FIG. 2. It should be appreciated thatthe encircled reference numerals are provided for illustrativeconvenience and are not intended to limit ways in which data may flow orthe order in which steps may be executed in the system 200. For example,data may flow to and from any component of the system 200 in any order.

Referring to encircled reference numeral 1 of FIG. 2, this examplebegins with the consumer 202 visiting the merchant page 206 which isprovided by a merchant web server 204. While visiting the merchant page206, the consumer 202 can provide disbursement information for adisbursement to be received by the consumer from the merchant. Dependingon the type of disbursement, and the merchant, different disbursementinformation may be required from the consumer. For example, where themerchant is an insurer and the consumer is a claimant, the claimant maybe required to provide a claim number, policy number, and policy holdername. Where the merchant is an online store and the consumer is apurchaser of goods, the consumer may be required to provide an ordernumber, purchase date, and delivery address. In some embodiments, otherdisbursement information may be required from the consumer. In someembodiments, the merchant may associate disbursements with consumeraccounts, such that the consumer can log in to their account via themerchant page 206 and identify any disbursements they are due. Once theconsumer has entered the requested disbursement information, theconsumer can select an “Identify Disbursement” button 226.

Referring now to encircled reference numeral 2, when the consumerselects the “Identify Disbursement” button 226, the merchant server 204can compare the disbursement information provided by the consumer topending disbursements 228 maintained by the merchant 204. In someembodiments, the merchant 204 can maintain pending disbursements 228linked to consumer accounts 230, for example where a disbursement is aresult of a prior transaction between the merchant and consumer such asa payment for an insurance claim. In some embodiments, pendingdisbursements 228 can be maintained without a pre-existing consumeraccount, for example where a consumer purchases a product from a thirdparty retailer and receives a rebate code that can be redeemed with themerchant. Pending disbursements 228 can also include terms of anycurrent incentives being offered by the merchant. For example, amerchant may offer a $10 rebate to any consumer who purchases fourqualifying widgets. In this example, the consumer can providedisbursement information such as identifiers for four purchased widgets(UPC numbers, SKU codes, receipts, etc.). The disbursement information(identifiers for the purchased widgets) can be compared to the offerterms to determine if the offer terms have been met. If a correspondingpending disbursement is identified based on the disbursement informationprovided by the consumer 202, merchant page 208 can be provided whichincludes a description of the pending disbursement. As indicated atencircled reference numeral 3, the consumer can view the details of thedisbursement and select “Redeem Disbursement” button 232 to redeem thedisbursement.

As indicated at encircled reference numeral 4 of FIG. 2, when theconsumer 202 selects the “Redeem Disbursement” button 232 on themerchant page 208, the merchant server 204 sends at least a portion ofthe disbursement information to the HOP disbursement service 216 andredirects the consumer to the HOP disbursement service. For example,when selected, the “Redeem Disbursement” button 232 may redirect theconsumer device 108 to a URL corresponding to the HOP disbursementservice 216. In some embodiments, disbursement information can beencrypted, e.g. using a one-way hash, and communications with theservice provider 212 can be made over a secure connection, e.g. usingSSL.

Referring to encircled reference numeral 5, the HOP disbursement service216 provides hosted disbursement page 218 to the consumer 202. Forexample, the hosted payment page 218 may include a summary of thedisbursement information 234 and present a plurality of distributionoptions 236. The plurality of distribution options 236 can include inputfields that enable consumers to provide account information directly tothe service provider 212, bypassing the merchant 204. Referring toencircled reference numeral 6, the consumer 202, via the consumer device210, inputs the account information. For example, the consumer 102 caninput credit card information, checking account information, or otheraccount information such as billing address information into the inputfields and then selects a “Submit” button. Using the HOP, the consumer'saccount information bypass the merchant and therefore the merchant doesnot have to be PCI compliant. In some embodiments, the merchant canmaintain a settlement account with the service provider. When theconsumer redeems a disbursement, the service provider can transfer theappropriate amount from the merchant's settlement account to theconsumer's account using the disbursement information and accountinformation provided by the consumer.

The HOP disbursement service 216 can make the disbursement according tothe consumer's selected distribution option using the consumer'sprovided account information, for example by transferring theappropriate funds to an existing credit or debit account using anoriginal credit transaction (OCT), by issuing a new gift card,reloadable prepaid card or similar account, or by loading anexisting/issuing a new virtual account in an electronic wallet. Inembodiments of the invention, AFT and OCT messages can be used to debitand credit issuer accounts when, for example, funds are beingtransferred from a business account (e.g., a merchant account) to adifferent account (e.g., a prepaid account that will be used by theconsumer). An OCT message is used to submit an original credit throughVisaNet to the recipient's issuer. An AFT (Account Funding Transaction)is a transaction designed to supply funds to another account such as aVisa prepaid, debit, ATM card or on-line account, and is explained inmore in U.S. Pat. No. 8,016,185, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety for all purposes.

In some embodiments, as shown at encircled reference numeral 7, when theconsumer 202 submits their account information to the HOP disbursementservice, the HOP disbursement service can optionally forward 238 theaccount information and disbursement information received to thetransaction services 214 for additional processing. For example,transaction services 214 can determine, based on the consumer profiledata 220, whether the consumer already has an account with the serviceprovider 214. If the consumer does not have an account, the serviceprovider 212 can create one. The account information and disbursementinformation can be stored in the consumer's account. In someembodiments, the service provider 212 can maintain standing instructionsfor the consumer in the consumer's account. For example, the consumercan specify that any disbursements from particular merchants are to bemade to a particular account. Subsequently, when the consumer redeems adisbursement from one of the particular merchants, the HOP disbursementservice can automatically disburse the appropriate amount to theparticular account, without requiring additional consumer input.

Further, in some embodiments, the merchant service provider 212 cantokenize the account information provided by the consumer usingtokenization module 224 to create a disbursement token for the accountinformation. The disbursement token can be sent by the service providerto the merchant, which can store the disbursement token in a consumeraccount associated with the consumer. Subsequently, when the consumerredeems a disbursement from the merchant, the merchant can provide thedisbursement token along with the disbursement information to the HOPdisbursement service for processing, without requiring additionalconsumer input.

In some embodiments, transaction services 214 can further include fraudand risk services that can confirm the disbursements are not fraudulent.For example, the system can check for employee fraud and/or consumerfraud (e.g., confirm that an employee is not making disbursements tofriends or family, or confirm the identity of the requesting consumer).Additionally, security checks related to government anti-terror orsimilar regulations can be performed.

Once the hosted disbursement system receives the instructions fordisbursement, and any additional transaction services have been applied,the hosted disbursement system can confirm that the merchant has fundsavailable to cover the disbursement. For example, the merchant canmaintain a settlement account with the service provider. If thesettlement account includes sufficient funds, the disbursement can becompleted by transferring the funds for the disbursement from thesettlement account to the consumer's specified account based on theirselected distribution option. In some embodiments, the hosteddisbursement system can communicate with an acquirer or other bankingentity associated with the merchant to confirm that funds are availablefrom the merchant to send to the consumer. This process may beimplemented by software at the merchant, merchant processor, bank, orpayment processor.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative hosted disbursement system, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. The embodiment shown inFIG. 3 is a similar hosted disbursement system to that shown in FIG. 2,however additional disbursement processing has been transferred from themerchant to the service provider. As shown in FIG. 3, a consumer 302 canaccess a merchant computer 304 using a consumer device 310 to request adisbursement. The consumer 302 can access merchant page 306 to begin thedisbursement process. In some embodiments, the consumer can enterdisbursement information, such as a disbursement identifier, into one ormore fields on the merchant page 306 before being redirected to merchantservice provider 312 (“service provider”). In some embodiments, theconsumer can be redirected to the service provider 312 before enteringany disbursement information. Once redirected, the consumer can beprompted to provide the disbursement information directly to the serviceprovider 312 via hosted disbursement page 318. The hosted disbursementpage can include one or more fields 332 to enter the disbursementinformation. After the consumer has provided the disbursementinformation, the HOP disbursement service can forward the disbursementinformation to the disbursement management service 308 to identify acorresponding disbursement. In some embodiments, the disbursementmanagement service 308 can communicate with the merchant to identify thecorresponding disbursement. After the disbursement has been identified,hosted disbursement page 320 can be provided to the consumer, whichincludes a summary of the disbursement 334 and a plurality ofdistribution options 336. The plurality of distribution options caninclude one or more fields into which the consumer can provide accountinformation to be used to make the disbursement.

Similar to FIG. 2, in FIG. 3 service provider 312 can includetransaction services 314 and HOP disbursement service 316. Serviceprovider 312 can further include disbursement management service 308. Insome embodiments, merchants can use disbursement management service 308to track, verify, and manage their disbursements. For example, merchantscan provide disbursement information corresponding to pendingdisbursements 328 to the disbursement management service 308. Thedisbursement information can be provided in a batch data fileperiodically, or updated in real time.

An example will now be provided with reference to the encircledreference numerals 1-8 provided in FIG. 3. It should be appreciated thatthe encircled reference numerals are provided for illustrativeconvenience and are not intended to limit ways in which data may flow orthe order in which steps may be executed in the system 300. For example,data may flow to and from any component of the system 300 in any order.

Referring to encircled reference numeral 1 of FIG. 3, this examplebegins with the consumer 302 visiting the merchant page 306 which isprovided by a merchant web server 304. While visiting the merchant page306, the consumer 302 can provide disbursement information for adisbursement to be received by the consumer from the merchant. Asdescribed above with respect to FIG. 2, different merchants may requiredifferent disbursement information from the consumer. Once the consumerhas entered the requested disbursement information, the consumer canselect a “Redeem Disbursement” button 326. In some embodiments, merchantpage 306 may request no disbursement information from the consumer.Instead, merchant page 306 may display a summary of availabledisbursements (current rebate offers, refund procedures, etc.) andinclude the “Redeem Disbursement” button 326.

Referring now to encircled reference numeral 2, when the consumerselects the “Redeem Disbursement” button 326, the merchant server 304sends any disbursement information provided by the consumer to the HOPdisbursement service 316 and redirects the consumer to the HOPdisbursement service. For example, when selected, the “RedeemDisbursement” button 332 may redirect the consumer device 308 to a URLcorresponding to the HOP disbursement service 316. In some embodiments,disbursement information can be encrypted, e.g. using a one-way hash,and communications with the service provider 312 can be made over asecure connection, e.g. using SSL. In some embodiments, where themerchant page does not request any disbursement information from theconsumer, the consumer can be redirected to the service provider 312 andthe merchant can provide a merchant identifier, or other informationthat can be used by the service provider to identify the merchant.

At encircled reference numeral 3, hosted disbursement page 318 can beprovided to the consumer. In some embodiments, if disbursementinformation was sent by the merchant with the redirect at referencenumeral 2, this page can be bypassed. If disbursement information wasnot sent by the merchant, the consumer can be prompted to enter thedisbursement information in one or more fields 332 on hosteddisbursement page 318. In some embodiments, because different merchantscan require different disbursement information, the service provider candetermine which fields are included in the hosted disbursement page 318based on a merchant identifier that was included with the redirectedrequest. The service provider can determine the appropriate fields toinclude based on the merchant configuration data in transaction services314. At reference numeral 4, the provided disbursement information canbe sent from the HOP disbursement service 316 to the disbursementmanagement service 308 to identify and verify the disbursement requestedby the consumer. In some embodiments, the disbursement managementservice 308 can compare the disbursement information against pendingdisbursements maintained by the service provider. In some embodiments,if the disbursement management service 308 cannot identify acorresponding disbursement based on the disbursement informationprovided by the consumer, at reference numeral 5, the disbursementmanagement service 308 can communicate with the merchant 304 to identifythe disbursement. For example, the service provider 312 may haveincomplete information about pending disbursements if the merchantprovides periodic updates of disbursement information to the serviceprovider.

At reference numeral 6, once the disbursement has been identified,hosted disbursement page 320 can be provided to the consumer. Similar toFIG. 2, hosted disbursement page 320 may include a summary of thedisbursement information 334 and present a plurality of distributionoptions 336. As described above, the plurality of distribution options336 can include input fields that enable consumers to provide accountinformation directly to the service provider 312, bypassing the merchant304. Referring to encircled reference numeral 7, the consumer 302, viathe consumer device 310, inputs the account information. For example,the consumer 302 can input credit card information, checking accountinformation, or other account information such as billing addressinformation into the input fields and then selects a “Submit” button.Optionally, at reference numeral 8, other transaction services can beapplied to the disbursement request, as described above with respect toFIG. 2. As described above, once the hosted disbursement system receivesthe instructions for disbursement, the hosted disbursement system canconfirm that the merchant has funds available to cover the disbursementbefore transferring funds from the merchant to the consumer.

FIG. 4 illustrates distribution options in a hosted disbursement system,in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As described above, ahosted disbursement webpage 400 can provide a plurality of distributionoptions 402 from which a consumer can select to complete a disbursement.The hosted disbursement service can be extensible, such that support foradditional distribution options can be added. As shown in FIG. 4,supported distribution options can include, but are not limited to, anew account 404, such as a new prepaid, debit, or credit account, anexisting account 406, such as a prepaid, debit, credit, or checkingaccount, or an electronic wallet account 408. When a distribution optionis selected, one or more input fields can be displayed to the consumercorresponding to information needed to process the selected distributionoption. For example, to make a disbursement to an existing account,fields can be displayed to input account information, and to make adisbursement to an electronic wallet account fields can be displayed forthe consumer to log into their electronic wallet.

Once the system has received a selection of a distribution method forthe disbursement, and has received the appropriate account informationfrom the consumer, the system can conduct the disbursement. For example,when the consumer chooses to have funds disbursed to an existingaccount, an OCT 410, AFT 412, check 414, or other appropriatetransaction message can be used to transfer the funds via a processingengine 418, such as a payment processing network or automated clearinghouse (ACH). For example, in an OCT 410, the system can push funds tothe requester's existing payment card. The system may utilize APIs atthe payment processing network for OCT transactions. Alternatively, whenthe consumer chooses to receive funds via a new account 404, the systemcan issue a guest card, a reloadable prepaid card, etc. In thisembodiment, the system can connect to a new card issuing platform 416 tohave a new card sent to the consumer.

In some embodiments, the consumer can select their electronic wallet 135via the distribution options list or via a stand-alone electronic walletbutton displayed on the hosted disbursement page 400. The electronicwallet button can be implemented as a link that directly connects to apayment processing network. When the consumer selects the electronicwallet option via distribution options 402 on the hosted disbursementwebpage 400, the consumer can be directed to their electronic wallet 408to select options to disburse funds associated with the electronicwallet via a variety of methods. For example, the requester can directthe disbursement funds to an existing card account 420, authorize a newprepaid card 422, or establish a virtual prepaid account 424. Theconsumer can choose any of these options through the electronic walletor hosted disbursement webpage to receive the disbursement.

In some embodiments, the hosted disbursement system can be used forrecurring disbursements. The consumer can provide standing instructions,to the hosted disbursement system or the electronic wallet, that candefine how disbursements are to be made. The standing instructions caninclude merchant-specific and/or account specific instructions. Forexample, the consumer can set instructions to transfer recurringinsurance claim payments to a checking account, and all otherdisbursements to a prepaid account. In some embodiments, when adisbursement is made automatically based on a consumer's standinginstructions, the consumer can be notified of the disbursement.Notifications can come in a variety of formats. The consumer can providean SMS or phone number for an SMS notification or an e-mail address fore-mail notifications. In some embodiments, the service provider orelectronic wallet could have an internal messaging system (e.g., securemessaging integrated with an electronic wallet platform) that can sendnotifications to a consumer's phone, email address, application, etc.

FIG. 5 provides an illustration of an example merchant webpage, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 5, aconsumer 502 can access a merchant website hosted by a merchant webserver 504 using a consumer device 510, such as a smartphone, tablet,computer, or other communication device. The consumer 502 can navigatethe merchant website to a rebate information page 506 (corresponding,e.g., to merchant page 206 shown in FIG. 2). The rebate information page506 can include a plurality of fields 508 that can receive disbursementinformation. As described above, in some embodiments the rebateinformation page 506 can be provided by the service provider. Forexample, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the disbursement informationrequired can include a rebate code and a purchase date. As describedabove, different merchants may require different disbursementinformation. In some embodiments, merchants can associate disbursementinformation related to a particular consumer with the consumer'saccount. Accordingly, a login option 510 can be presented. The consumercan elect to login, for example by providing a consumer name andpassword, and the disbursement information can be retrieved from theiraccount. Once the consumer has entered the required disbursementinformation, the consumer can select an “Identify Rebate” button 512.The disbursement information can then be used to determine whether adisbursement is due to the consumer, as described above.

FIG. 6 provides an illustration of an example merchant webpage, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 6, oncea disbursement has been identified, a rebate summary page 600(corresponding, e.g., to merchant page 208) can be provided to theconsumer. The rebate summary page can include a summary of thedisbursement, which can include a summary of the transaction that leadto the disbursement 602 and the amount of the disbursement 604. Forexample, in the embodiment of FIG. 6, the consumer purchased a notebookcomputer which qualified for a $100 rebate. The consumer can select a“Redeem Rebate” button 606, to claim the rebate.

FIG. 7 provides an illustration of an example hosted disbursementwebpage, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. As describedabove, when the consumer redeems a rebate, the consumer can beredirected to a hosted disbursement service 700 at a service provider702. The hosted disbursement service 700 can provide a Rebate Page 704(corresponding, e.g., to hosted disbursement page 218). The consumer canprovide account information for the disbursement to the hosteddisbursement service 700 through the hosted disbursement page, bypassingthe merchant. The rebate page 704 can include a summary of thedisbursement 706 and a plurality of fields 708, 710 for accountinformation. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, theconsumer can enter existing account information in fields 708, includinga payment card account, card number, and other details. The consumer canalso provide billing address information in fields 710. Although theembodiment shown in FIG. 7 requests existing account informationcorresponding to an existing debit or credit card account, informationfor other account types, as described above, could also be requested.Once the consumer has entered their account information, the consumercan select the “Submit” button 712 to complete the disbursement.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method for providing a disbursement to a consumerthrough a hosted disbursement system, in accordance with an embodimentof the invention. At 800, a merchant service provider receives a requestto make a disbursement to a consumer from a merchant. As describedabove, the request can be redirected from a merchant server and caninclude disbursement information corresponding to the disbursement. Thedisbursement information can be received by the merchant server from theconsumer via one or more web pages provided by the merchant server. Themerchant server can identify the disbursement by comparing thedisbursement information from the consumer to disbursement informationmaintained by the merchant server before sending the request to themerchant server provider. In some embodiments, the request from themerchant server does not include disbursement information. Instead, whenthe disbursement request is received by the merchant service provider, ahosted disbursement page can be provided that includes fields to receivethe disbursement information. In some embodiments, the fields includedin the hosted disbursement page can vary depending on the merchant fromwhich the request is redirected. The merchant service provider can thenidentify the disbursement by comparing the disbursement information fromthe consumer to disbursement information maintained by the merchantservice provider. If a matching disbursement is not identified in thedisbursement information maintained by the merchant service provider, arequest can be sent to the merchant to compare the disbursementinformation from the consumer to disbursement information maintained bythe merchant server. If no disbursement can be identified in thedisbursement information maintained by the merchant service provider orthe merchant server, an error message can be returned to the consumer.

At 802, the merchant service provider can receive a selection of adistribution option from the user. The distribution option cancorrespond to a type of account to receive the disbursement, such as anexisting debit, credit, or checking account, or a new prepaid account,or an electronic wallet account. At 804, the merchant service providercan receive account information from the consumer. The accountinformation is sent to the merchant service provider from a user device,bypassing the merchant server. The account information can be receivedthrough a hosted disbursement page that is hosted by the merchantservice provider. The hosted disbursement page includes a summary of thedisbursement and a plurality of fields to receive the accountinformation. At 806, the disbursement can be processed by the merchantservice provider using the account information to transfer fundscorresponding to the disbursement from the merchant to the consumer. Insome embodiments, the transfer can be a payment to an existing account,such as an original credit transaction (OCT), automated clearinghouse(ACH) payment, or an account funding transaction (AFT).

In some embodiments, the merchant service provider can receive standinginstructions from the user that identify an account to which subsequentdisbursements are to be made automatically. When a subsequent request tomake a disbursement is received, the merchant service provider canautomatically make the disbursement according to the standinginstructions, and send a notification to the user indicating that thedisbursement has been made.

As described above, in some embodiments disbursements may be made to aconsumer's electronic wallet instead of, or in addition to, theconsumer's credit, debit or prepaid account. Some features of anexemplary wallet can be found in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/466,409, entitled: “Electric Wallet”, by Edward Katzin, filed on Mar.22, 2011, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety forall purposes. An electronic wallet may be used in a variety oftransactions, including but not limited to eCommerce, social networks,money transfer/personal payments, mobile commerce, proximity payments,gaming, and/or the like. For example, consumers may engage in eCommercevia the electronic wallet for retail purchases, digital goods purchases,and utility payments. consumers may also, for example, use theelectronic wallet to purchase games or gaming credits from gamingwebsites, and transfer funds to friends via social networks. Further,for example, consumers may also use the electronic wallet on a smartphone for retail purchases, buying digital goods, NFC/RF payments atpoint of sale (POS) terminals. Thus, by making disbursements to aconsumer's electronic wallet, the disbursed funds are made available foruse by the consumer in a variety of transactions.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary computer system 900, in which variousembodiments may be implemented. The system 900 may be used to implementany of the computer systems described above (e.g., client computer, aserver computer at the card association, a server computer at theissuer, a computer apparatus at the merchant, etc.). The computer system900 is shown comprising hardware elements that may be electricallycoupled via a bus 911. The hardware elements may include one or morecentral processing units (CPUs) 908, one or more input devices (e.g., amouse, a keyboard 903, etc.), and one or more output devices (e.g., adisplay device 905, 910, a printer 904, etc.). The computer system 900may also include one or more storage devices 902, 909. By way ofexample, the storage device(s) 902, 909 can include devices such as diskdrives, optical storage devices, solid-state storage device such as arandom access memory (“RAM”) and/or a read-only memory (“ROM”), whichcan be programmable, flash-updateable and/or the like. The computersystem 900 may also include an I/O controller 901 and physicalcommunication interface 906, such as a serial, USB, or othercommunication port, to interface with the one or more input devices andone or more output devices described above.

The computer system 900 may additionally include a computer-readablestorage media reader, a communications system (e.g., a modem, a networkcard (wireless or wired), an infra-red communication device, etc.), andworking memory 909, which may include RAM and ROM devices as describedabove. The communication system can be connected through an externalinterface 907.

The computer-readable storage media reader can further be connected to acomputer-readable storage medium, together (and, optionally, incombination with storage device(s) 908) comprehensively representingremote, local, fixed 902, and/or removable storage devices plus storagemedia for temporarily and/or more permanently containing, storing,transmitting, and retrieving computer-readable information. Thecommunications system may permit data to be exchanged with the networkand/or any other computer described above with respect to the system900.

The computer system 900 may also comprise software elements, locatedwithin a system memory 909, including an operating system and/or othercode, such as an application program (which may be a client application,Web browser, mid-tier application, RDBMS, etc.). It should beappreciated that alternate embodiments of a computer system 900 may havenumerous variations from that described above. For example, customizedhardware might also be used and/or particular elements might beimplemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such asapplets), or both. Further, connection to other computing devices suchas network input/output devices may be employed.

Storage media and computer-readable media for containing code, orportions of code, can include any appropriate media known or used in theart, including storage media and communication media, such as but notlimited to volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable mediaimplemented in any method or technology for storage and/or transmissionof information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data, including RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memoryor other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) orother optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, data signals, datatransmissions, or any other medium which can be used to store ortransmit the desired information and which can be accessed by thecomputer. Based on the disclosure and teachings provided herein, aperson of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other ways and/ormethods to implement the various embodiments.

Embodiments of the invention provide for a number of advantages. Forexample, in embodiments of the invention, many different businesses mayissue disbursements (e.g., rebates, refunds, etc.) and these can behandled at a universal platform. The platform may handle any dataconversions necessary to debit appropriate business accounts whilecrediting a single prepaid account (or other account) used by aconsumer. As a result, the consumer does not need to handle manydifferent types of disbursements, and can use only one type ofdisbursement. Further, since fewer types of disbursements are providedto consumers, fewer computing resources are needed.

The above description is illustrative and is not restrictive. Manyvariations of the invention may become apparent to those skilled in theart upon review of the disclosure. The scope of the invention may,therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description,but instead may be determined with reference to the pending claims alongwith their full scope or equivalents.

It may be understood that the present invention as described above canbe implemented in the form of control logic using computer software in amodular or integrated manner. Based on the disclosure and teachingsprovided herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art may know andappreciate other ways and/or methods to implement the present inventionusing hardware and a combination of hardware and software.

Any of the software components or functions described in thisapplication, may be implemented as software code to be executed by aprocessor using any suitable computer language such as, for example,Java, C++ or Perl using, for example, conventional or object-orientedtechniques. The software code may be stored as a series of instructions,or commands on a computer readable medium, such as a random accessmemory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a magnetic medium such as ahard-drive or a floppy disk, or an optical medium such as a CD-ROM. Anysuch computer readable medium may reside on or within a singlecomputational apparatus, and may be present on or within differentcomputational apparatuses within a system or network.

One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one ormore features of any other embodiment without departing from the scopeof the invention.

A recitation of “a”, “an” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more”unless specifically indicated to the contrary.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for making disbursements to one or moreusers, the method comprising: receiving, at a service provider computerfrom a merchant server, a disbursement request to make a disbursement toa user of a user device from a merchant, wherein the disbursementrequest includes disbursement information corresponding to thedisbursement, the disbursement information indicating a disbursementamount for the disbursement; wherein the merchant server: stores pendingdisbursement information corresponding to a plurality of pendingdisbursements, receives disbursement identification information from theuser device via one or more merchant web pages provided by the merchantserver, and identifies the disbursement by comparing the disbursementidentification information from the user device to the pendingdisbursement information maintained by the merchant server beforesending the disbursement request to the service provider computer,wherein the user device is redirected from the one or more merchant webpages hosted by the merchant server to a URL of a first hosteddisbursement page that is hosted by the service provider computer, theuser device being redirected by the merchant server after the merchantserver identifies the disbursement; receiving, at the service providercomputer from the user device, the disbursement information and a webpage request corresponding to the URL of the first hosted disbursementpage, the web page request being received in response to the user devicebeing redirected from the one or more merchant web pages provided by themerchant server, the web page request being received after the userdevice is redirected from the one or more merchant web pages hosted bythe merchant server; identifying, at the service provider computer, thedisbursement based on the disbursement information received from theuser device and the disbursement information received from the merchantserver; creating, by the service provider computer, the first hosteddisbursement page based on the disbursement information received fromthe merchant server and the user device, the first hosted disbursementpage including the disbursement amount indicated by the disbursementinformation, the first hosted disbursement page created in response tothe receiving of the disbursement information and the web page requestfrom the user device; providing, by the service provider computer, thefirst hosted disbursement page including the disbursement amount to theuser device in response to the receiving of the web page request fromthe user device and the receiving of the disbursement request includingthe disbursement information from the merchant server; receiving, at theservice provider computer, a selection of a distribution option from theuser device via the first hosted disbursement page, wherein thedistribution option corresponds to a type of account to receive thedisbursement; receiving, at the service provider computer, accountinformation from the user device via the first hosted disbursement page,wherein the account information is sent to the service provider computerfrom the user device, bypassing the merchant server; and processing thedisbursement using the account information to transfer fundscorresponding to the disbursement amount from an account associated withthe merchant to the user based on the account information.
 2. The methodof claim 1 wherein distribution options for the disbursement include apayment to: an existing account; a new account; and an electronic walletaccount.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the payment to an existingaccount includes an original credit transaction (OCT), automatedclearinghouse (ACH) payment, or an account funding transaction (AFT). 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the first hosted disbursement page isviewable on the user device, and wherein the first hosted disbursementpage includes a summary of the disbursement and a plurality of fields toreceive the account information.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving, by the service provider computer, standinginstructions from the user, wherein the standing instructions identifyan account to which subsequent disbursements are to be madeautomatically.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: receiving,at the service provider computer, a subsequent request to make adisbursement from the merchant to the user; automatically making thedisbursement according to the standing instructions; and sending anotification to the user indicating that the disbursement has been made.7. The method of claim 5, wherein the standing instructions furtheridentify one or more merchants from which disbursement is to be madeautomatically.
 8. A method of making disbursements to one or more users,the method comprising: receiving, at a service provider computer,pending disbursement information corresponding to a plurality of pendingdisbursements from a merchant server of a merchant; receiving, at theservice provider computer, a disbursement request to redeem adisbursement to be made to a user of a user device from the merchant,wherein the disbursement request includes a merchant identifier thatidentifies the merchant, the merchant identifier provided by themerchant server of the merchant, wherein the disbursement request isredirected to the service provider computer from the merchant server;wherein the user device is redirected from a merchant web page hosted bythe merchant server to a URL of a first hosted disbursement page that ishosted by the service provider computer; receiving, at the serviceprovider computer from the user device, a web page request correspondingto the URL of the first hosted disbursement page, the web page requestbeing received in response to the user device being redirected from themerchant web page provided by the merchant server; determining, by theservice provider computer, a first plurality of fields for the firsthosted disbursement page based on the merchant identifier included inthe disbursement request and merchant configuration data for themerchant stored at the service provider computer, wherein the firstplurality of fields are for receiving disbursement information in thefirst hosted disbursement page that is hosted by the service providercomputer, wherein the merchant configuration data indicates differentfields for disbursement information for different merchants, and whereinthe first plurality of fields are associated with the merchantidentifier in the merchant configuration data; creating, by the serviceprovider computer, the first hosted disbursement page based on themerchant configuration data, the first hosted disbursement pagecustomized for the merchant by including the first plurality of fieldsassociated with the merchant identifier in the in the first hosteddisbursement page, the first hosted disbursement page created inresponse to receiving of the web page request from the user device;providing, by the service provider computer, the first hosteddisbursement page to the user device in response to the receiving of theweb page request from the user device and the determining of the firstplurality of fields for receiving the disbursement information;receiving, at the service provider computer, disbursement informationfrom the user device via the first plurality of fields of the firsthosted disbursement page, the disbursement information from the userdevice corresponding to the disbursement; identifying, at the serviceprovider computer, the disbursement by comparing the disbursementinformation received from the user device via the first plurality offields of the first hosted disbursement page to the pending disbursementinformation received from the merchant server; receiving, at the serviceprovider computer, account information from the user device, wherein theaccount information is sent to the service provider computer from theuser device, bypassing the merchant server; and processing, at theservice provider computer, the disbursement using the accountinformation to transfer funds corresponding to the disbursement from anaccount associated with the merchant to the user based on the accountinformation.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein distribution options forthe disbursement include a payment to: an existing account; a newaccount; and an electronic wallet account.
 10. The method of claim 9wherein the payment to an existing account includes an original credittransaction (OCT), automated clearinghouse (ACH) payment, or an accountfunding transaction (AFT).
 11. The method of claim 8, whereinidentifying the disbursement based on the disbursement informationcomprises: failing to identify a matching disbursement in thedisbursement information maintained by the service provider computer;and sending a request to the merchant server to compare the disbursementinformation from the user to disbursement information maintained by themerchant server.
 12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:providing a second hosted disbursement page that is hosted by theservice provider computer, wherein the second hosted disbursement pageis viewable on the user device, and wherein the second hosteddisbursement page includes a summary of the disbursement and a secondplurality of fields to receive the account information.
 13. The methodof claim 8, further comprising: receiving, by the service providercomputer, standing instructions from the user, wherein the standinginstructions identify an account to which subsequent disbursements areto be made automatically.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising: receiving, at the service provider computer, a subsequentrequest to make a disbursement from the merchant to the user;automatically making the disbursement according to the standinginstructions; and sending a notification to the user indicating that thedisbursement has been made.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein thestanding instructions further identify one or more merchants from whichdisbursement is to be made.
 16. A service provider computer, comprising:a processor; a memory device including instructions that, when executedby the processor, cause the processor to: receive disbursementinformation from a merchant server, wherein the disbursement informationcorresponds to a disbursement to be made to a user of a user device froma merchant, the disbursement information indicating a disbursementamount for the disbursement; wherein the merchant server: stores pendingdisbursement information corresponding to a plurality of pendingdisbursements, receives disbursement identification information from theuser device via one or more merchant web pages provided by the merchantserver, and identifies the disbursement by comparing the disbursementidentification information from the user device to the pendingdisbursement information maintained by the merchant server beforesending the disbursement information to the service provider computer;wherein the user device is redirected from the one or more merchant webpages hosted by the merchant server to a URL of a first hosteddisbursement page that is hosted by the service provider computer, theuser device being redirected by the merchant server after the merchantserver identifies the disbursement; receive, from the user device, thedisbursement information and a web page request corresponding to the URLof the first hosted disbursement page, the web page request beingreceived in response to the user device being redirected from the one ormore merchant web pages provided by the merchant server, the web pagerequest being received after the user device is redirected from the oneor more merchant web pages hosted by the merchant server; identify thedisbursement based on the disbursement information received from theuser device and the disbursement information received from the merchantserver; create the first hosted disbursement page based on thedisbursement information received from the merchant server and the userdevice, the first hosted disbursement page including the disbursementamount indicated by the disbursement information, the first hosteddisbursement page created in response to the receiving of thedisbursement information and the web page request from the user device;provide the first hosted disbursement page including the disbursementamount to the user device in response to the receiving of the web pagerequest from the user device and the receiving of the disbursementinformation from the merchant server; receive a selection of adistribution option from the user device via the first hosteddisbursement page, wherein the distribution option corresponds to a typeof account to receive the disbursement; receive, account informationfrom the user, wherein the account information is sent to the serviceprovider computer from a user device via the first hosted disbursementpage, bypassing the merchant server; and process the disbursement usingthe account information to transfer funds corresponding to thedisbursement amount from an account associated with the merchant to theuser based on the account information.
 17. The service provider computerof claim 16 wherein distribution options for the disbursement include apayment to: an existing account; a new account; and an electronic walletaccount.
 18. The service provider computer of claim 16, wherein thehosted disbursement page is viewable on the user device, and wherein thehosted disbursement page includes a summary of the disbursement and aplurality of fields to receive the account information.
 19. The serviceprovider computer of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executedby the processor, further cause the processor to: receiving, by theservice provider computer, standing instructions from the user, whereinthe standing instructions identify an account to which subsequentdisbursements are to be made automatically.
 20. The service providercomputer of claim 19, wherein the standing instructions further identifyone or more merchants from which disbursement is to be made.